It was the shortest week of the current NFL season with just 13 games on the schedule, but it was must-watch action with plenty of action from Friday to Tuesday.
There was also the harsh reminder that there are no sure things in the league with Dallas and Tennessee pulling off major upsets in their games.
It was also a rough week to be a kicker with struggles all across the league, none moreso than in Washington as the Commanders’ kicker had a rough day at the office.
Check out our five big takeaways from the week in our recap below.
1 – Snow Games Are Awesome
Let’s not pretend like Browns-Steelers was a marquee match to kick off Week 12 but it became one of the more aesthetically pleasing games to watch.
It had nothing to do with the skill level on display, but the snowstorm that hit Cleveland midway through the third quarter.
The game itself was a bit of a grind with both teams struggling as you would expect with any inclement weather, as the Browns managed to pull off an upset thanks in no small part to Myles Garrett.
But any time we get a game in the snow, it always leads to some of the best photos of the season.
Maybe it is just seasonal envy as the Aussie fans are left sweating bullets before the end of the early morning window of games.
2 – Maybe It Was Not Daniel Jones’ Fault
A common refrain among Giants fans over the last few years was to blame Daniel Jones for the team’s woes.
However the guy was in an untenable position from day one, drafted sixth overall to replace a franchise legend in Eli Manning and was thrown into the mix before he was ready.
It looked like it would come to an end before a solid season in 2022 earned him a big money deal and further enhanced the gigantic bullseye on his back, especially after a season ending injury in 2023.
Well that saga came to an end last week after Jones was benched and then released with the team labouring at 2-8 and starting to plan for the offseason.
In comes Tommy DeVito, the cult hero from last year and he, long with the rest of the team played like garbage as they got blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaeers.
Perhaps now the fans’ ire will be placed on the higher ups who have let this roster deteriorate to a point where they are simply non-competitive.
This season was gone the minute they decided to let key players such as Saquon Barkley and safety Xavier McInney go in the offseason.
Let’s see how those guys are going…
It’s actually quite impressive how every roster decision they made managed to backfire spectacularly.
Especially when you consider how they were allegedly committed to Jones, while desperately trying to trade up for Drake Maye back in April.
It is a joke that has been made many times before but Dallas has the chance to do something incredibly funny by signing Jones and playing him on Thanksgiving.
3 – The Dolphins Are Primed For A Run
Every season there is a team that goes through a rough start but finds some form around this time of year and manages to jag a playoff berth.
It sure looks like it will be the Miami Dolphins in 2024 after their third straight win moved their record to 5-6.
Tua Tagovailoa moved to an impressive 7-0 against New England and he had his way with their defence.
Sitting four games behind the Bills, the AFC East title is out of the question, but if they can keep up this pace and finish with 10 or 11 wins, they might be able to capitalise on a late season fade out from one of the Chargers, Ravens or Broncos.
And even if they don’t quite get all the way into a wild card spot, the Dolphins will be fun to watch down the stretch as they have a six remaining games, all of which can be described as winnable.
It is funny to think that while Tua was out with his concussion, their ugly Week 5 win over New England is what made the difference to their season, because if he comes back at 1-5 instead of 2-4, it might have been a very different narrative.
4 – Houston Is Not
While Miami might go on a run and ultimately just fall short of a playoff spot, Houston looks like a team that might stumble into the postseason and suffer an almost immediate exit.
This is a team that was supposed to push for the Super Bowl but the sophomore slump is a very real thing for CJ Stroud and really, DeMeco Ryans as well.
Over the last month they have gone 1-3 against a pretty easy schedule, with the one win coming in Dallas and that was helped by the Cowboys’ ineptitude.
Taking on the 2-8 Tennessee Titans (in Houston no less), the Texans should have made light work of their division rivals.
They even got the almost weekly Will Levis pick-six for a free touchdown.
But for some reason they let the Titans hang around as CJ Stroud had another rough showing with two more interceptions to make it five in his last three games
He now has nine picks on the season after throwing five in 2023.
And he also decided to channel his inner Dan Orlovsky with the game on the line late in the fourth quarter.
Chances are the Colts, Titans and Jaguars won’t catch them for the division, but they would not be expected to beat whichever current Wild Card team would come to town on January 11 or 12.
In case you were wondering, it would be one of Baltimore, the LA Chargers or Denver at the moment.
5 – Kyle Shanahan Might Be In Danger
It would take a brave executive to decide that the San Francisco 49ers would be better served moving on from head coach Kyle Shanahan, but it would not be unprecedented.
The guy has taken the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game or Super Bowl in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 but is enduring a season from hell in terms of injuries.
Currently stuck at 5-6 so far, Shanahan just has not had the answers when it comes to dealing with the various absences at key positions, the latest of which saw Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa miss their game against the Packers.
However the absence of those players does not provide an excuse for the horrific effort they put out on the field and some of the boneheaded mental mistakes that always comes back to the way they are coached.
It was not a good day on either side of the ball for the reigning NFC Champions, but they are still only a game out of the division lead.
However there is a very reasonable question to ask about the coaching staff, and whether or not they are equipped to get them over that final hurdle.
We saw Tampa Bay move on from a very successful Tony Dungy and replace him with Jon Gruden in 2002 to get the Bucs over the line.
After Denver capitulated in the playoffs following the 2014 season, they let John Fox go and brought in Gary Kubiak who managed the shell of Peyton Manning and a historic defence to Super Bowl 50.
Shanahan is a good coach who will undoubtedly get another opportunity based on his success in San Francisco, but after seven and a half years, you can’t help but wonder if he has done all he can with that franchise and a fresh voice might be what is needed.